Screengrab of the Amcham Women Achieve Pledge website. Sign the pledge at www.womenachievepledge.org
Advice to Give to our daughters
My advice to daughters in Abu Dhabi becoming Women who Achieve is grow your perseverance and humility. You may have people in your world who are not as supportive as you would like or are obstructive, but if you have perseverance to stay true to yourself and your goals you will be able to stay positive about you. You will have many successes in your life, some planned, some unexpected, some graciously earned as a Women who Achieves, keeping your humility to center yourself will make you a generous and graceful leader.
– Heather Smith, Vice President, Strategic Projects at NMC Healthcare
“Women Achieve captures seven important ideals that #WomeninBusiness entrepreneurs, managers and leaders can work together to achieve. Role models and mentors play a vital role in this process. Throughout my career both male and female mentors have played a critical role as work has taken me from the US to Asia to Africa to Europe and the Middle East. Without the support of diverse mentors and my family (parents, husband and three daughters) I could not have pursued my passions. The advice I have given my daughters is to “embrace diversity and challenges.” And each daughter has followed a different passion studying bio-chemistry, journalism and the environment. In the 21st century, with technology changing the way we communicate, we can all embrace the phrase “#WomenAchieve #EnjazAlNe-sa
– Theresa F. Weber, Executive Director, AmCham Abu Dhabi
Never stop being a student. A mind that constantly learns is one that constantly gives. Wherever you go, add good value. Never say never and the glass is always, always, half full. Do not follow the dreams of others, build your own. Fall, get hurt, learn, pick your pieces up and move on. Learn that it is okay to cry, even if you are at the top of your career. But most importantly, cherish the reason that made you stop crying. Be humble. Always be humble. Help comes in many ways, do not let your mind limit you from how you can help and what form it should be. Do not let age prevent you for dreaming, reaching, following and succeeding in your career. Oprah once said, “The whole point of aging, as I see it, is change. If we let them, our experiences can keep teaching us about ourselves.” Surround yourself with good, strong, successful people; what an in inspiration they will be to you. I learnt the most from the toughest women I met in my career. Look for one, work for her, dislike her, and then make sure you thank her for all that she taught you. Most importantly, find yourself a partner in life who brings the best out of you; I would not be where I am today without your father’s support and belief in me.
– Dareen Zoughbi, Founder and CEO, Nadereen Consultancy
To follow her heart and be true to herself in terms of how she shows up in the world both personally and professionally. Aim high, dream big and take daily action towards her dreams and have the courage and resilience to stay on course despite what is going on around her. To stay super fit and healthy , smile, keep her word impeccable , always do her best , be the change she wishes to see in the world, be open to everything and attached to nothing, be kind, be self-reliant yet build a strong circle of positive , nurturing friends as a support network , to travel and connect with new cultures , learn and grow , to love and be loved … and most of all be HAPPY … and know that I will ALWAYS be there for her come rain or shine.
– Jules Lewis, Founder, Mountain High
My parents set the foundation for me to be a woman who achieves. From my childhood to today, they both have led by example—modelling persistence, integrity, and excellence in their careers, in their involvement in the arts, and in their community service. Their consistent message, communicated through action not words, inspired me to follow their example. In turn, as I set my goals high and made my commitment clear, they facilitated my achievements with unwavering support and dedication. As I have progressed in my legal career, which now focuses on supporting high-risk, high-reward construction projects in the Middle East, their example and faith continue to be both a solid foundation and source of inspiration.
– Roberta Wertman, Senior Associate, Reed Smith
EMPOWERING WOMEN:
THE AMCHAM WOMEN ACHIEVE PLEDGE
WOMEN ACHIEVE is an initiative by AmCham to support the advancement of women into positions of higher responsibility and leadership within companies and organizations. WOMEN ACHIEVE PLEDGE focuses on seven key ideals that direct companies towards acquiring a supportive work environment for the professional advancement of women. The ideals include encouraging women to grow through training, shadowing, coaching, mentorship and internship programs, considering female candidates for new opportunities and promoting ‘rising stars’ into leadership positions. WOMEN ACHIEVE PLEDGE also encourages women to serve on corporate boards and supports fair remuneration for female employees.
THE WOMEN ACHIEVE PLEDGE
I PLEDGE TO…
- Provide a professional organizational environment conducive to the advancement of women.
- Encourage women to grow through training, shadowing, coaching, and mentorship programs.
- Consider female candidates for new opportunities.
- Support female rising stars in their efforts to move into leadership positions.
- Encourage women to serve on boards of different organizations.
- Offer fair remuneration to female employees.
- Promote internship to female candidates.
AMCHAM ABU DHABI CHAIRMAN ROBERT S. HARWARD:
“The WOMEN ACHIEVE program continues to be an incredible success and with the launch of the website we are happy to make it accessible for individuals and organizations to become engaged. Recognizing the tremendous impact of women who serve, we look forward to them leading their respective fields and institutions,” said Robert S. Harward, Chairman of AmCham Abu Dhabi. “A special thank you to Sana Bagersh for serving two years as Chairperson of the AmCham Abu Dhabi Women in Business Committee and creating the WOMEN ACHIEVE initiative. This website would not have been possible without her hard work and dedication to this cause. With Heather Smith as the current Women in Business Committee Chairperson, we look forward to her taking this initiative to the next level.”
